Public Servant Lifestyle

Insurance against fire damage - the one thing you can't do without.

Insurance against fire damage seems unfashionable among householders, but it could just be the one thing you can't do without.

Householders are spending just one-fifth the amount paid by commercial property owners to protect their buildings against fire damage. Latest figures show that fire costs the British economy almost £7bn - an increase of 18%, since the previous study into the issue.

The Economic Costs of Fire

The report, entitled The Economic Costs of Fire provides the most precise figures, to date,on how much fire costs. Commercial properties take the biggest percentage, at over 40%, while domestic dwelling fires incur the greatest loss of life. The least expensive fires are outdoor incidents, and
chimney fires.

Almost one third of the total cost is taken up by deliberate fires - or arson - at £2.1bn.

The main findings of the report The Economic Costs of Fire are that:

The overall cost of fire to the economy (in 1999) was £6.9bn

Expenditure on fire protection, and safety equipment, in housing, is less than a fifth of expenditure in commercial premises

The cost of casualties and injuries, in domestic dwellings (£10,900, on average) is four and a half times higher than in commercial premises (£600, on average). Costs include hospital and ambulance costs, lost productivity through work absence, etc...

The average cost of a domestic fire is £21,500, and is one of the most expensive incidents, that can befall any household. The cost includes death and injury, property loss, insurance administration and fire service activity etc...

The estimated cost of arson is £1.2bn - rising to £2.1bn, with the cost of fire protection included

Prevent Fires

Fire Service minister Alan Whitehead said: "We can all do our bit to help, and prevent, fires from taking hold - by installing smoke alarms with working batteries, for example, and being vigilant, in known danger areas, such as kitchens."

See also on Lifestyle:

Get A Smoke Alarm - Figures for UK fire-related deaths reveal that, of 595 people killed, more than two thirds perished in accidental home fires.

Partners In Safety - The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the Chief Fire Officers Association Scotland (CFOAS) have forged a new partnership so that they can work more closely to reduce deaths and injuries.

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More information available in Your Home, Home Security